Countries return to TPP negotiating table

ATLANTA – Negotiations on the TransPacific Partnership, a massive free-trade proposal involving Canada and 11 other nations, will resume in Atlanta, Georgia, today.

Chief negotiators from the 12 countries, which have a combined population of 800 million people, will hold sessions through to Tuesday. And those meetings will set the stage for further talks involving TPP trade ministers on Wednesday, Sept., 29 and Thursday, Oct., 30.

Canada’s supply management system has been a significant sore point in the ongoing negotiations.

The United States and New Zealand, in particular, have been pressuring Canada to reduce its tariffs on foreign dairy products, which are among the highest of all TPP members.

Canada recently committed to increased imports of European cheese in a trade deal with the European Union, however, Prime Minister Harper has vowed that Canada will stand by its dairy producers in the TPP talks.